Burma group hold prisoner protest
By Judy Harry,WNS Indo-China Correspondent
YANGON - A group of activists have begun what they hope will be a week-long prayer vigil in Burma to call for the release of the country's political prisoners. About 1,000 people, wearing white and carrying candles, gathered at the Buddhist Shwedagon pagoda in Rangoon. The detained pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is among those whose release they are seeking.
Public protests and campaigns are rare in Burma, which is ruled by one of the world's most repressive regimes. The activists and their supporters were prevented from actually entering the pagoda by security officials. Instead, a brief prayer service was held in a public area just outside.
The student group organising the prayer campaign is known as the 1988 Generation. It takes its name from the mass national student uprising that year, when the Burmese army intervened to end calls for a return to civilian rule. On Friday, the group asked leaders of other religious organisations in Burma to hold vigils at their own places of worship, from today until 4 November.
posted by wnsworld @ 1:40 PM
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